By Grant Barrett, Ad Astra Radio
BUHLER, Kan. – It was the start that the McPherson High Baseball team wanted early, but they could not pull away from the Crusaders late, falling in walk-off fashion to their rival 8-7 on Thursday.
Jaret Myers would collect the first RBI’s of the season with a double in the top of the first inning, which brought home Hunter Alvord and Cade Wedel. Myers would also get the start on the mound, giving up just one hit through his first two innings, but after adding a run in the top of the third, the Pups would be plagued with errors in the third inning, as four runs crossed the plate, giving the Crusaders a 4-3 lead.
“Our defense will always be a strength of this team, and I thought we got a little passive.” said Head Coach Heath Gerstner, “We we’re kind of on our heels, got a little cold maybe out there, and we just got to go out and play aggressive.”
Brock Richardson would tie the game in the fourth, after Teegan Haines led off the inning with a double. Richardson would slide safely into home from second base, when Brock Burgess hit a slow roller to the shortstop. The Pups would make it a 6-4 lead when Jaytin Gumm’s triple brought in Burgess.
Ian Razak would come on in relief of Myers, and the lefty began his sophomore campaign striking out the side in the fourth. “I thought Jaret gave us a great start, so consistent, had the fastball and changeup working really well. Then Ian came in and was really sharp out of the gate.” Gerstner admitted pulling the trigger a little late, but said he was proud of the way his guys competed.
In the top half of the fifth Jaret Myers would lead off with a single before moving up to second on a stolen base. Gavin Richardson would collect a two-out RBI with a single, extending the lead to 7-4.
Razak would strike out two more batters in the bottom of the fifth, but after the Pups went 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth, Buhler would grind out tough plate appearances, to get back within two before a double down the left field line would get the Crusaders within one, threatening with runners on second and third.
Coach Gerstner would call upon senior Hunter Alvord in a jam, where he limited the damage, but the Crusaders tied the game at 7-7 going into the top of the seventh. The Pups would have three hard hit balls right at Buhler defenders, and they would go down in order. “We had a lot of hits, a lot of barrels, we hit some balls right at some people for a cold night, and there’s a lot to build on.”
With a runner on first and one out, Buhler would hit a sinking liner to right field where Gavin Richardson’s diving effort fell just out of his glove, putting the winning runner on third. With an 0-1 count on the next batter, Alvord’s pitch went out of the reach of sophomore catcher Carter Allen, advancing the runner home from third, as the Crusaders would defeat the Bullpups 8-7.
“We’ve got a great baseball team, and I knew tonight would be an ultimate test.” said Gerstner, “I thought they beat us in both games last year, and we found a way to sneak one out.” He compared that to Thursday’s loss, saying, “I thought tonight we beat one most of the game, but they were able to sneak one out on us, sometimes that’s the way baseball goes.” He said, “We just let them hang around, and hang around, and that’s what happens.”
Looking ahead, Gerstner said, “If you look at our schedule, I think every night’s going to be a battle.” He said, “Our league is tough, and Circle is going to have two really good arms.” He concluded by saying, “This is going to be a competitive group. I know this one left a bad taste, but we will be ready to get back after it on Monday, and be ready for Circle on Thursday.”
Game 2 of the series will be played at Grant Complex in McPherson, on April 6.
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